Star Riddled Skies

"Fuck Zach, I was blinking! I'm fine, please let me get up so I can see if my bike is okay!"

Zach slips his hand into mine and I stop breathing for a second. Zach pulls me up, surprisingly strong, and as I find my feet he winds his arm round my waist.

I feel safe.

Zach stares at me and moves his arm a little, his hand slipping away. My legs feel like jelly under me and I almost fall. Zach grabs me again and holds me tighter, worry flashing through his eyes.

"Ash you should sit down for a bit," Steve says, chewing his lip, "You hit your head real hard there, jolted your neck, you look really pale."

I murmur something, suddenly feeling really light headed. I try to put my feet on the ground, staring down at them to concentrate, but I can't and my head swims, my feet out of control.

Zach bends down and puts his other arm behind my knees, picking me up bridal style. I feel like I'm going to faint just from being in his arms and I let myself smile just a bit. My head bands and I can't help the welling in my chest as Zach holds me close. I hear his heart pounding too, and I feel cold when he puts me into of the seats at the sidelines.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, wishing I could just sleep.

"Ash wait," I hear Steve say, "You've got a nasty rip in your jacket, looks like you caught your arm,"

I mumble something else, probably, "Shurnong,"

There's cold hands on my shoulders, pulling off my jacket, and tugging it down my arms. Their fingers make my skin tingle, and I realise it's Zach tugging off my jacket. I open my eyes a little and look down. Blood is smudged all up my arm, from the gash across my inner arm. I hiss a little as Steve winces, my mum gasps and Zach just stares.

"I'll go and get the first aid kit," Steve says, turning away and jogging across the dirt towards reception.

"Ash are you okay?" Zach says, leaning closer, hushing his voice.

Steve jogs back and opens the first aid kit, pulling out antiseptic and a bandage.

"Come on bandage it up, I need to practise that trick!"

"Ash I don’t think you-" Mum starts, but I shake my head and cut her off.

"No, I need to pra- Ah SHIT! That hurts!"

"Sorry!" Steve wails a little as he cleans up the cut and wraps the bandage round my forearm. I force myself to stand up, and this time my head doesn't rush, and my feet don’t give way.

"Come on, I need to practise that trick." I take Zach's wrist and pull him away a little, "Zachy, don't watch me this time? Sorry but... I just got... distracted."

Zach nods and gives me a hug, wrapping his arms round me, and I breath in his smell. He passes me my jacket and I shrug it on, bounding over to my bike and picking it up. I scrutinise it, checking for scratches and dents, thankfully there's only a small one, and I swing my legs over it, standing up and starting it. It takes a few seconds to start and I almost set off before Zach runs up me and gestures with my helmet. He slides it on and clips it up at the bottom, smiling at me, that warm sweet smile, before I snap down the visor.

"Be careful," I hear him say through the plastic. Even through leather my skin tingles as he pats my shoulder before my back tyre spins and I head for the ramp.

I push myself off the bike again at the highest point and throw the handlebar to one side. I don’t dare look up as it spins, tensing my muscles as I reach out for the bike again and pull myself onto it, feeling gravity take its hold until I hit the dirt and skid the bike to a stop.

."Hey," I hear a voice say as I take off my helmet, and get off the bike

I know it's not Zach, Steve, or Mum, so I look up a little curiously until my eyes meet with a boy, that 3 months ago I would've fallen head over heels for.

And, to be honest, he knows it.

"That was a pretty sick trick there," He says softly, extending his hand, "Jake by the way,"

'Arrogant cunt,' was the first thing that came to mind, but I bite my lip and take his hand as he shakes it, "Ash," I say reply, almost coldly.

"So..." It's obvious arrogant cunt is stalling and I can't help smiling, "What you practising for?" His eyes aren't connecting with mine, infact staring a little lower, at the low neckline of my jacket and vest.

"Oh, competition tomorrow," I say, almost coldly again, hoping he would get the message, but he shuffles a little closer.

"Oh yeah? How old are you then?" His right hand lifts to brush a strand of hair from his eyes, and I start to get bored.

"I'm fifteen actually," I say again, crossing my arms and leaning against my bike.

"Oh? You have to be sixteen to compe-"

"Yes, I know, Jake... thanks. I have talent," I want to scream 'BITCH!' at myself, but I resist, just desperate to get rid of the guy.

Thankfully, I feel arms round my neck, and look down. Judging by the chipped black polish, bitten nails and BMTH wristband, I figure it's Zach and smile.

"Well," Jake snorts a little, "Bye then, Ash."

"Yeah." I say, fiddling with Zach's wristband, "Bye."

Zach and I both watch until Jake disappears and then I turn round, wrapping my arms round his middle.

"Was that prick hassling you Ashy?"

"Nah," I say in his ear, moving onto my tiptoes so the hug's a little more comfortable for me, "Just trying to chat me up really,"

Zach's arms tighten round me and I can't help smiling. I feel completely wanted, and I even forget where I am in his embrace.

"My arm hurts," I mumble and Zach pulls away, so we're far apart enough to see each other's faces. His mouth is down turned and his eyes look sad.

"Sorry, for making you fall off," He mumbles, looking down a little. I tilt his chin back up, holding it there.

"Nope, don't be sorry, you didn’t run up and push me off the bike did you?" I say, and Zach laughs a little, "I shouldn't' have lost concentration should I?"

"Suppose so..." Zach murmurs, pulling me closer and with a smile, he starts swaying our bodies from side to side. "You were amazing, you know," He murmurs, and I feel the red slide up my cheeks, "That trick at the end, hell, you know you're going to win this Ashy."

"Thanks. I'm not even nervous, which is really weird I guess..." I say with another smile, sliding my arms even further round his ribcage, so I can link my hands behind him, "Just don’t make me fall off tomorrow," I laugh a little and so does Zach, leaning his head on mine so I can feel his breath on my hair.

"Hang on," I say, pulling away, "I need to go ask Steve something,"

Zach makes a little noise of displeasure as I pull away and bound across the dirt towards Steve, whose deep in conversation with Jake. I raise my eyebrows at him and almost elbow him out the way, smiling brightly at Steve, "Steveeeeeee! Can I ask you a huge, huge, huge favour?"

Steve raises his eyebrows and looks over my shoulder for a second, "See you next week Jake?" Jake must have nodded, and starts moving off, since I hear his feet scuff against the dirt and heave a content sigh.

"Right, Steve, you know how you love me and all? And I'm like your, like, favourite student, and like the best rider you've got?" Steve raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms across his chest, "Well can I take Zach round the dirt track?"

Steve shakes his head, just the slightest movement from left to right, and I groan loudly, "Steve please!"

"You know I can 't do that Ash."

"Please!" I wail, hopping from one foot to the other. I can see Steve's weakening as his eyebrows slowly replace themselves to normal position, so I hop a little closer and murmur in his ear, "But I really like him Steve!"

Steve sighs and pushes me away a little, hands on my shoulders, "Go on then." He says with a smile, "I suppose Zach'll need a helmet as well then?"

"Pleeease," I say, widening my eyes so they're puppy dog and Steve smiles, ruffling my hair.

"You've got me round your bloody little finger Ashton." Steve says, crossing his arms and wandering off to find a helmet.

I bounce back up to Zach, whose studying my bike with vague interest, running his fingers across the metal.

"I gots a surprise for you Zachy!" I say with a grin, fiddling with the dogtags hanging round his neck, "You'll have to take your hat off though." I say, and Zach laughs a little as we realise what I could've meant.

"Oo-er!" He says, tapping my nose, "Alright then," His other hand reaches up and pulls off his hat and his hood at the same time, twirling the hat round his fingers. I watch as the pattern spins between us for a second before looking up and fixing his fringe with my fingers.

Steve suddenly appears beside us, holding a helmet and a jacket.

"'Ere, look what I found, a helmet and a jacket. Bloody field day!" He smiles at us to show he's joking and hands Zach them both.

"Ash?"

"Come on!" I say as I see Steve walk off with a sigh, "Put them on!" Zach looks a little unsure so I take the helmet off him whilst he shrugs on the jacket and zips it up, tight over his hoodie and shirt, making him look even thinner. I push the helmet onto his head and smile as I pull the visor up and clip the straps together beneath his chin.

And I can't help thinking how perfect and gorgeous the boy in front of me looks.

I smile and wrap my fingers round his wrist, pulling him towards my bike. My hands find the handles and I push it along, not bothering to get on it so I can walk with Zach. I almost forget about the helmet on the seat and Zach snatches it off with a smile. I wheel the bike outside, Zach next to me, to the edge of the dirt track, the one with a few bumps and dips, but mainly just a track.

I smile at the boy next to me and take my helmet from him, pushing it on and doing it up, snapping down his own visor and swinging my legs onto the bike.

Zach stands there for a second so I pull on his wrist so he sits behind me, and his arms snake round my waist. I swear my heart fails me as he holds himself close when I start the ignition, "Hold on," I say with a smile, tapping my hand on top of his for a second before revving the engine and slipping onto the track.

Zach's fingers dig into my abdomen when I take both my feet and hands from the bike, feeling it slip beneath us, and realise it was a mistake to try a trick with both of us on the bike.

His hands mould round my ribcage and I smile again, stopping myself having a complete girly moment and knowing I'll have to ring Ra tonight.

The back wheel kicks out a little when I round a particularly violent corner, and Zach holds himself against me even tighter, so I can feel his ribs, and it makes the breath catch in my throat a little. When I pull to a stop and rip off my helmet, Zach does the same, and his lips are curved into a wide grin.

"You are actually amazing you know,"

I blush furiously and swivel my top half round so I'm looking back at him properly, waiting until he's got off the bike, until I do the same and walk the bike back inside beside Steve.

"I think I'm done today Steve. I know my routine, and my heads spinning a bit from that fall," I say, ruffling my hair back up and shuffling a little closer to Zach, whose at my side.

"Sure love," Steve says, taking the helmet off Zach and waiting a little for him to lose the jacket and hand it back, "So I'll see you tomorrow? Get there for 12 for me? It starts at two,"

"Alright," I say, smiling, "Yay, I'm so excited!"

Zach laughs a little, leaning over a little and wrapping one arm round my shoulders and squeezing them a little.

Steve wiggles his eyebrows frantically, not caring Zach could see him and widens his eyes. I just mouth him to fuck off, and his jaw drops in fake shock.

"See you tomorrow Ash," He says before moving off and giving Zach and I the privacy he obviously thought we needed.

"What time is it?" I say, leaning into him a little more, half turning the hold into a hug to stop my head spinning from hunger and the pain in my arm.

Zach looks at the time on his phone, which I can just see him do out the corner of my eye, "Almost 3," Zach murmurs before replacing his phone.

"Shall I ring Ra and see if the gang are down the field?"

I feel Zach nod, "Sure,"

I pull out my own phone and press a few buttons, before holding it up to my ear.

"Hiya love!" Ra says brightly, a little breathless.

"Hey, are you guys down the field?"

"Yeah, we are, wh- Justin get off!" She interrupts, giggling, and I hear Justin make some sort of noise on the other end of the phone, "Justin! Yeah, we are, why?"

"Me and Zach are gonna come down, just checking you were there,"

"Oooh, okay!" Ra says, and I hear Justin butt in a little, "Hang up already Ash, let us finish!" His voice was riddled with sexual innuendo, and I can imagine him raising his eyebrows in that way and smirking.

I raise my own eyebrows, "Um? Okay,"

I hear flesh on flesh and an 'Ow!' from Justin, and Ra giggling, "Shut up Justin, and yeah, come down, we're all here."

"Alright, see you in a bit, love you."

"Love you too," Ra says, and I can imagine Justin scowling at her declaration of love to someone other than him.

We hang up, and I look up through my hair to Zach, whose watching me intently, "Ready then? I'll go find Mum."

His arm falls from round me as he nods and smiles, watching me for a second as I move across the dirt to Mum.

"Can you drop me and Zach off down town please Mum?" I say, my voice sickly sweet, cute little smile playing on my lips.

Mum smiles back, and I see genuine happiness when she does, as if she knows something very happy that I don’t, "Sure love, there's a pair of jeans in the car if you want to put those on?"

I nod and grin, "Which ones?"

"Blue with the hands I think." Mum says, and I can tell she's ready when I squeal and hug her.

"Love you Mum!"

She smiles again, "Go on, Zach looks left out." She raises one eyebrow at me and innocent starts studying the pattern on her sleeve.

"Shut up." I say, but nicely, before bounding off back to Zach, who's replaced his hat, put his hood up and fixed his fringe.

"Come on then!" I say, linking his arm with mine and pulling us across the dirt. As we exit the arena I tilt my head back, "See you tomorrow Steve!"

I hear a noise, a yes or an alright muffled by a helmet since a second later I hear an engine rev.

We wait by the car until mum catches up with us, and unlocks the car. Zach and I climb in and I look around before finding the pair of electric blue jeans, with black handprints on the bum.

I smile at Zach for a second before pulling his hat down over his eyes and slipping off my motor cross boots into the footwell. Zach hangs his head a little but I still get the feeling he's watching me. I pull down my leathers, leaving me in the skin tight electric shorts. I glance at Zach again before straightening out the skinnies and slipping them on, smiling because they're my favourite pair.

I reach over and pull Zach's hat back up and he's already smiling. I fix his fringe again for him, slip my feet back into my boots, and look up at Zach. His eyes just keep me there and we just stay like that until Mum rouses me from a trance.

"Where dya want dropping off Ash?"

"Uhm, just drop us here Mum," I say, signalling to the pavement a few roads from the field. Mum quickly pulls over and turns in her seat to smile at us.

"Not too late back Ash..." She warns and I just smile, sighing a little as I open the door. I almost close it on Zach's head as he climbs out the same side as me.

I screech a sorry and pull him out by his shoulders, my lips stretching into a worried face.

"S'alright love," He says back, smiling as we turn and watch Mum drive away, and I catch her smile in a mirror.

Zach links his arm through mine as we walk the two or three roads to the field and I hop the rusty gate after Zach climbs over it. He turns back at me for a second, the hair flicking into his eyes, the smile blindingly bright on his lips, before he turns back.

I drop back down off the gate but when I look up Zach's gone, off to talk to someone else, leaving me behind.

I shake the hair from my eyes and shrug the leather jacket from my shoulders, winding my fingers round it as I scan the field until I spot Ra and bound over, hiding the little disappointment I feel with Zach not at my side, without even saying anything.

"Hi love!" Ra says, and I note Justin isn't entangled with her either. She smiles before looking over my shoulder, "Where's Zach?"

I shrug and pull a face, "Don’t know, reckon he's with Justin or something..."

She shrugs, "Oh well... boys are cunts," She smiles at me and her arms go round my shoulders, picking me clean off the ground, "Looking forward to tomorrow?" She says, putting me down.

"You guys are coming then?" I grin, looking down at my fingers, twisting round the leather collar.

"Of course, who do you take us for?" Ra says, ruffling my hair and making me look up.

"I didn't even tell you guys about it!" I say, wondering how Ra knew.

"Duh, you've got your jacket and boots on, so you must've gone to practise,"

I smile and tap my temple, "You're well smart aren't cha?"

"Well duh."

-x-

I'd said my goodbye to Ra at her doorstep a few seconds ago and I slip my arms into my jacket and zip it up to my chin against the cold of the evening. I'd kept looking for Zach through my conversation with Ra and everyone else, but I couldn't find his hoodie or his pale striking face.

Ra had even quizzed Justin about Zach, which included holding him by a handful of his shirt, which didn't really work since all that made him do was get, as Ra said, "Fucking horny."

I shove my hands in my pockets and quicken my pace back home, thankful when I reach the door and push it a little, finding it open since I've forgotten my keys. I lock it behind me, knowing no one will use it until the morning and quietly climb the stairs.

I'm deep in thought and either my parents don’t greet me as go upstairs, or I don’t hear them. I pull my phone from my back pocket as I close my door and sigh when I find there's no new messages or missed calls.

It was only 7 o'clock but I was knackered, and I pull off my leathers, hanging them on the back of my chair. I turn sideways to look in my mirror, my figure only covered by skintight shorts and a very skinny vest.

I run my hands down the back of thighs, and feel almost sick at the feeling of them against my hands, fat.

No wonder Zach walked off today

I quickly turn my back on the mirror and slip off my remaining clothes, reaching for my pyjamas that consisted of an extra large 'Never Mind The Bollocks. Here's the Sex Pistols' bright yellow shirt, and a pair of black shorts. I tie my hair back this time, with an elastic from my wrist I hadn't noticed before. I climb under the sheets, and pull them up to my chin, closing my eyes.

I think I see the light from my phone, signalling I've got a message, but when I open my eyes and reach over for my phone, holding the button on the side, it tells me otherwise.

I flip it open anyway and quickly type a message to Zach asking where he went today, a goodnight, and that I'm going to sleep now, along with three kisses and a :]. Whenever I text Zach there's usual a reply within minutes, seconds, if that, but I lie awake and stare at my phone for almost half an hour and there's no reply.

I turn my phone upside down, fighting back tears for some inexplicable reason, and roll over, burying my head in the pillow.

If I said I didn't care that he hadn't text back, God knows I'd be lying.